# Bolds & Associates, LLC — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

**Citation:** 07-0136  
**Type / status:** guidance / guidance  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** 2007-09-24

07-0136 response to Bolds & Associates, LLC concerning 171.8, 173.31, 174.67.

## Document text

<<<PAGE 1>>>

U.S. Department
1200 New Jersey Ave.. SE
Pipeline and Hazardous
of Transportation
SEP 24 2007
Washington. DC 20590
Materials Safety
Administration
Mr. James J. Bolds
Managing Consultant
Ref. No. 07-0136
3o Box Associates, LLC
Montgomery, TX 77356-084
Dear Mr. Bolds:
This is in response to your July 6, 2007 letter concerning the applicability of the Hazardous
Materials Regulations (HMR: 49 CFR 171-180) to tank car unloading. In your letter, you
present the following scenario:
unloading, the tank cars are disconnected and prepared for return transit as residue cars.
You state that railroad tank cars are unloaded into fixed storage tanks at a terminal. After
Tank trucks are then loaded from the fixed storage tanks. You state that this specific
unloading rack operation is not a transloading operation as defined in the HMR because the
tank cars are unloaded into fixed storage tanks rather than non-bulk or bulk packaging, and,
therefore is not subject to the tank car unloading requirements specified in § 174.67. You ask
whether your interpretation is correct.
The answer is yes. As defined in § 171.8, transloading means the transfer of a hazardous
I hope this information is helpful.
Sincerely,
nect
Chief, Standards Development
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards
174.67
171.8
070136
173.31(g)

<<<PAGE 2>>>

Foster
5174.67
BOLDS & Associates, LL.C
Rail Car Equipment Consulting
Tank Car Unloading
07-0136
725 First Avenue South
SuiteC
Send all correspondence to:
Nitro, WV 25143
Montgomery, TX 77356-0846
O Box 846
VIA EMAIL
July 6, 2007
Mr. John Gale, Chief Standards Development
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards
U.S. Department of Transportation
East Building, 2nd Floor (PHH)
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590-0001
RE: Clarification of 49 CFR 174.67
Dear Mr. Gale:
Materials. One of my clients is requesting a clarification of 49 CFR 174.67. Please, bear with
I am a consultant specializing in railroad tank cars and transportation of Hazardous
me while I describe the situation and the conclusions drawn.
unloading, the tank cars are disconnected and prepared for return transit as residue cars.
1. The physical location is a terminal, where tank cars are unloaded into fixed storage tanks, after
trucks are then loaded from the fixed storage tanks.
2. 49 CFR 174.67 states that this section applies to transloading:
→§ 174.67 Tank car unloading.
observed:
For transloading operations, the following rules must be
3. 49 CFR 171.8 defines transloading as:
49 CFR 171.8 - definitions
person from one bulk packaging to another bulk packaging, from
Transloading means the transfer of a hazardous material by any
packaging to a bulk packaging for the purpose of continuing the
a bulk packaging to a non-bulk packaging, or from a non-bulk
movement of the hazardous material in commerce.
www.boldsassociates.com
Voice: (936) 582-6865
Fax: (936) 582-1479
jjjbolds@boldsassociates.com
Mobile: (936) 697-0727

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2007/070136.pdf>
- Source ID: `phmsa`
- SHA-256: `4c9e8684934a8ac38f7855a80f01ba5edc03478572b66a50a96597990f13cd49`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T00:59:31.977Z
- Exported: 2026-08-23T01:04:58.771Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-interpretation-07-0136`

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